


a flower crown for your love

by orphan_account



Series: ficlets [3]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Flower Crowns, Fluff, M/M, Steve Needs a Hug, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2021-02-18 00:10:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21518725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "There, there," Pepper cooed. "Tony likes flowers?" she said with a shred of doubt in her tone. But when Steve peered up, she's smiling her bright toothy smile. He squinted and she sighed, dropping her hand from his shoulder. "He does." she insisted. "Even more so than me."
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: ficlets [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1551151
Comments: 10
Kudos: 298





	a flower crown for your love

Steve had a crush.

The problem was, when you had a crush on someone in the 30s, all you had to do was buy them pretty things, take them out for dinner and dates - impress them - and ultimately, once fallen, you propose.

Unfortunately for Steve, it's the 21st century. Not only that, to make things worse, his crush was, well, to say 'does well for himself' would be the understatement of the century. His crush was a very, very impressive man himself, and the thought about impressing him -

Steve shuddered. Next to him, Miss Potts - Pepper, as she insisted - patted his shoulder. "To be honest, Tony's very - not to be crass - easy." Steve glared at her over the rim of his emptied orange juice glass.

She hid her giggle behind slender fingers. She's very pretty. She also used to date his crush. Impressive met impressive.

Steve groaned as he let his head drop heavily onto the table, forehead hitting with a soft thunk. "There, there," Pepper cooed. "Tony likes flowers?" she said with a shred of doubt in her tone. But when Steve peered up, she's smiling her bright toothy smile. He squinted and she sighed, dropping her hand from his shoulder. "He does." she insisted. "Even more so than me."

So, Steve made it his mission to visit every florist in Manhattan to scout the best for his crush. He found one, just by the corner of Avengers' tower and the florist was very, very kind. She took time to teach him about the various floras and what they represent. Steve lingered around the red tulips more than the rest.

He bought a small bouquet of yellow Acacia for true friendship (secret love). He looked longingly back at the red Tulips. Agatha saw him out with a smile, patted his arm for thanks and asked him to come by again

He did. After he tucked his first bouquet neatly between DUM-E's claw and couldn't wallow any longer in nerves, waiting for Tony to notice them (it had been three days! three whole days and he still hadn't seen them. Poor flowers must have wilted).

He spotted the red tulips immediately. There are only a handful of them left compared to the bucketful he’d seen three days ago. Agatha’s by the cash register, being pleasant as she checked a customer out. Steve wasn’t expecting it, so when she called him by his name, he was pleasantly surprised. “Good morning, Agatha.” He smiled back.

His second purchase was a beautiful arrangement of white Gardenias in a bed of baby blue baby breaths. Steve kissed Agatha’s cheek as she gushed, going distinctly pink. “You shouldn’t play my heart like than, young man, when I know you’re nursing a crush for someone else.” She chided bashfully. It was Steve’s turn to blush tomato red. She patted his arm and saw him out the door again.

It took Steve more than a fortnight to revisit the flower ship. For one, the second bouquet was completely confused and misinterpreted and to Steve’s chagrin, ended in Natasha’s possession. Don’t even try to ask how, it was all a terrifying horror story, and like all other horror stories in this stupid century, it began with one Clinton Francis Barton. After that, Steve took one whole week to recover from the shame and another to build up his courage again to visit Agatha – even if his crush was destined to doom, she was a perfectly lovely lady who reminded him of his ma.

“Oh Steve, I thought I chased you away!” She cried as she pulled him into a tight embrace. Now, Steve hadn’t known this lady for more than an hour combined. But she had only ever been good to him, so kind and motherly and Steve hadn’t really recovered from the previous flower blunder that he broke in her embrace.

“Oh, dear.” She hushed. Steve felt so awful for putting her on this pedestal, but if his dignity could still be saved, for what it was worth, he wasn’t really shedding tears. He’d let out a dry sob. That, combined with his lost, kicked puppy, look, she took pity on him and ushered him to the back room where it smelt a concoction of the most natural perfume and warm tea.

She poured him a cup and listened as he whined. “My husband taught me how to make a flower crown.” She reminisced once Steve had gone all quiet. “He was the one who loved these pretties. I was the one who teased him. But look at where fate had brought me.”

“Where is he now?” Steve asked softly, hoping he wasn’t stepping out of the line, inquiring stuffs like that. She smiled at him. “Up there.” She nodded skyward. “Can feel him watching whenever I’m surrounded by these lovelies.” She’s so in peace with her loss that Steve marvelled at her strength. “Can I learn how to make flower crowns?” He blurted out then, much to her open amusement.

Every day at ten, Steve would exit the tower and enter the flower shop around the corner. After three consecutive days of his new routine, Natasha began smirking every time he excused himself from the breakfast table. Bruce began shooting him encouraging smiles after two weeks – Steve suspected Natasha had something to do with that too.

Pepper knew from the beginning, she’s the one responsible for the box of fake flowers left by his door for practice. By the end of his one month lesson, it was only Tony and Clinton left unaware of Steve’s secret mission. The former, Steve’s glad for. The latter, Steve was _extremely_ glad for (nobody can deal with their life turning into a horror story, twice. Not even Captain America).

At the end of his lesson, Steve twirled the perfect crown made from forget-me-nots, jasmines, yellow daffodils and gardenias, with a defeated expression on his face. “That’s not how I looked when I learnt how to make my crowns.” Agatha pulled up a chair and sat next to him. He shot her a small smile. “I don’t know if he’ll like it.” He confessed.

“Steven Rogers.” She called, sounding just like his mother when he was sixteen and trying not to cough up his lungs after playing in the rain. Her crow feet and smile lines flattened and she regarded him seriously under her kind brown eyes. “Anyone would be an idiot to turn you down.”

Steve snorted. Agatha knew who he was crushing on. She of all people should know that Steve was the lucky one in this secret equation of his. She sighed when he rolled his eyes pointedly. “You said he’s smart.” She changed her tactic.

“A genius.” Steve corrected.

“Your friend -,”

“Best friend.”

“You gave him the last two flowers you bought?”

Steve faltered. He _had_ given Tony the bouquet of carnation and a stalk of Sunflower. By hand, each time; once bitten, twice shy and all.

“He liked them?”

He’d been surprised at first but after the carnations, the sunflower had been very welcomed. “Yes.”

Agatha smiled a secret smile. “You mentioned he’s quite fond of flowers.”

“I – Yeah. He is.” Steve stammered, one hand reaching behind to rub at the nape of his neck which was suddenly burning. When Agatha continued to smile, Steve huffed, unable to stop himself from breaking into a grin and he peered up bashfully from his flower crown. “You reckon he’ll like this?”

“I think he’ll love this.”

She pushed him out of the door hastily, making him promise to return for those red tulips. “I’d ordered extra this week. Don’t make me regret them.” She warned. Steve laughed all the way to his floor in the tower, flower crown fitted neatly in a paper bag in his left hand. He stopped just before entering his room. It’s a bright Sunday noon. Not too hot and not too cold for early spring. Steve fiddled with the key and made up his mind; he’d find Tony, give the gift and ask him out for lunch. With a plan, the man set down to the workshop where his crush was guaranteed to be found.

“Steve!” Tony brightened as soon as the glass panels opened to let him in. His eyes immediately went for the paper bag and they twinkled speculatively. “What’s that?”

“Nothing.” Steve started, more focused on reaching where Tony was, seated in his work station that he forgot the rest and then he backtracked. “I mean. Not nothing. This, urm -,” But Tony was already grabbing the bag out of his grip, uncurling the neatly folded top and he peered in and oh god –

Steve’s heart paused in his chest. He watched in horror as Tony’s eyes widened and when he beamed, Steve sagged in relief. _Dear lord._

“It’s a flower crown!” Tony crooned, picking it out of the bag for closer examination. Steve observed closely as Tony’s mouth parted in recognition as he looked from one flower to another which donned the crown. But once Tony was done looking, his face closed off and he beamed at Steve but it wasn’t the _same._

“Who’s the lucky gal?” He asked, stifled teasing tone which made Steve’s inside squirm uneasily. He didn’t know what it was with Tony’s face then, but it was wrong. It was so heavily guarded; layers after layers of masks that Steve ached to peel off so he could see the real Tony again. _His_ Tony.

He was so focused on that thought that he didn’t even realise his tongue folding to reply Tony, “You.”

Tony’s eyes widened and Steve realised belatedly what he’d just said. His whole face burnt and he ducked his head as if that could be any help. “I’m not a girl.” He heard Tony say breathily. He looked up; defiance, petulance and frustration from a _year_ of pining wearing his patience thin and finally snapping his restraints in half. “I know that, Tony. I’m not blind.”

“No you’re not.” Tony agreed faintly.

“I like you.” Steve confessed stubbornly, as if someone was going to jump on him and force him to change his mind. “I want to take you out on dates. I want to love you and make love to you.” He finished in a breath.

Tony’s mouth had parted sometime during that confession. He let out a bark of laughter, his cheeks tainting a dusky pink, high. He looked so beautiful then, with awe residing in his bright eyes and his lips stretched into a maddening grin –

Grin.

Steve gulped. Was Tony laughing at him? Oh no. Was he? Had Steve –

“I’d love to.” Tony said, effectively intercepting Steve’s deprecating thoughts. “That is, to go out with you on dates, fall in love with you and make love to you.” He was standing up now, head stopping barely beneath Steve’s chin. “Am I quoting you right?” He asked, voice gone deliciously low, threatening Steve’s heart to pump viciously downwards. But Steve didn’t move. Tony was so close. _So_ close, to touch, feel and hold. “You are.” He managed, his own voice strained raw. He pulled the flower crown out of Tony’s hand and carefully props it on top of soft dark curls, making sure it stays put where it belonged.

Tony smiled a stunner, hot breath fanning over Steve’s blushing neck and he was so _near_ , Steve was counting his eyelashes. “You know what else I’m gonna do?” Steve shook his head. “I’m gonna kiss you until we’re both stupid and I’m gonna take you out for lunch, okay?”

Frowning, and completely missing the point, Steve protested weakly, “But _I_ was gonna take you out for lunch today.”

Tony huffed, his lips quirking in fond amusement and he cupped Steve’s jaw chasing the final coherence out of Steve’s wit. “I’m still gonna kiss you.” Tony whispered, tip-toeing. Steve made a pathetic noise in the back of his throat and sooner than later, he was being kissed just how he was promised.

They did go out for lunch. Much, much later – like two hours later. Because Tony was an eager menace and Steve aimed to spoil him rotten. They pass by Agatha’s shop where Steve dragged Tony inside and introduced him to her. He bought a bouquet of twelve red tulips surrounded by a smatter of soft cotton flowers peeking in between, for Tony the very same day; one could call Steve eager as well, but when Tony pushed him on the bed and worshipped every single inch of him, Steve hummed happily and decided, it had been a long time coming anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> two consecutive fridays will with fluff?? this is looking up to be a fluffy friday tag.


End file.
